Civil War speaker: Technology aided bloody Chickamauga Battle

Thursday

Jan 9, 2014 at 10:58 PMJan 9, 2014 at 10:58 PM

By Peg.McNichol@hollandsentinel.com (616) 546-4269

Technology and confusion combined to make the Battle of Chickamauga one of the most disorganized, bloodiest fights of America's Civil War. It stands at the biggest loss for the Union and the second-most deadly conflict of the war, though almost twice as many Confederate soldiers, 2,312, were killed.The battle was fought on a line extending along the undulating, hilly, brush-filled banks of Chickamauga Creek, in Georgia's northwest and Tennessee's southeastern corners. Massive confusion resulted when gunfire caused brushfires and commanders lost sight of and communication with their troops.Jerry Berg, a Civil War and Middle Ages re-enactor, dissected Chickamauga's skirmishes on Sept. 19 and 20, 1863, and the battle's military leaders for 35 attendees of the Holland-Zeeland Civil War Round Table during Thursday's meeting at the Howard Miller Library and Community Center. His talk, and stories shared by Round Table members of their experiences visiting the battleground, inspired visitors Jim Woudstra of Jenison and Jerry Chambers of Holland to join the group, paying $10 annual dues.Innovations seen during the battle included Colt revolving rifles, which allowed the 21st Ohio's soldiers to shoot five bullets in short order and reload in a matter of seconds, giving the impression of being a much larger force — though some soldiers lost their hands when the chamber's bullets simultaneously exploded, Berg said.Chickamauga is where Confederate Gen. James Longstreet — the South's "ace in the hole," Berg said — deployed a flying wedge formation of soldiers to break through the Union line, tearing it in half. The move was similar to Pickett's Charge, but much more successful, Berg said, and caused Union Gen. William Rosecrans to flee to Chattanooga, where he stayed despite telegraphed orders from President Abraham Lincoln to return to the battlefield."I wish more of the AP history teachers at the high schools around here would send their students to our meetings," said Dan Penny, the group's program coordinator.Holland-Zeeland Civil War Round Table meeting are at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Howard Miller Library & Community Center, 14 S. Church St. in Zeeland. Admission is free and open to the public.— Follow this reporter on Facebook and Twitter, @SentinelPeg.